Iron Curtain Cut on Czechoslovaks’ Austrian Border
The 40-year-old Iron Curtain dividing Czechoslovakia and Austria symbolically disappeared Sunday as their foreign ministers cut the barbed wire on the Czechoslovak side of the border.
Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Jiri Dienstbier announced that Prague will suspend visa requirements for Austrians until the end of January while their permanent abolition is being discussed.
“This is a good feeling. Now our relations can get back to normal,” Dienstbier said as he and Austrian Foreign Minister Alois Mock, wielding huge wire-cutters, snipped through the barbed wire at Hevlin, Czechoslovakia.
“I am glad to be able to help remove the last barriers between our countries,” Mock said as he gave Dienstbier a strand of barbed wire.
Among the first waiting for Dienstbier to walk across the border was his daughter, Monika, who has lived in Vienna since 1984 and is an Austrian citizen. The two, who had met just once since 1984, hugged and kissed.
Czechoslovakia began dismantling its border fortifications with Austria a week ago after democratic reforms swept the country and ended 41 years of Communist rule.
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